The present invention relates to a device allowing concrete products sorted or a travelling conveyor to be formed in a predetermined pattern of concrete products for subsequent feeding onto a concrete product stacking cuber.
In Tumbled products semi-automatic handling and cubing systems, concrete products dispensed from a tumbler and dropped onto a product receiving belt to be subsequently received in a chaotic state on a travelling conveyor. It is necessary to manually arrange the products on this conveyor so that they may be thereafter stacked in the form of a cube on a wooden pallet. On example of a device for sorting and arranging concrete products, such bricks, pavement stones, walls stones or the like may be found described in applicant""s Canadian application No. 2,317,329 filed Sep. 5, 2000 and published Mar. 5 2002. The handling system described in this publication comprises a first conveyor of low speed on which are placed products dispensed from a Tumbler and at least one additional conveyor having a speed higher than that of the first conveyor and located near the first conveyor to thus allow a proper arrangement of products for stacking.
Another system requires a gate or blocker to separate each pattern formed and one or two pushing devices to drive one pattern to a cuber steel plate. They also require two independently driven conveyors (before and after the gate).
In another system, the products are sorted on a non-moving section (conveyor or steel plate) and pushed by hand to a moving conveyor.
The present invention is concerned with providing a device for gating concrete products which are manually sorted on a travelling conveyor and formed in a predetermined pattern so that the concrete products may be subsequently fed onto a concrete product stacking cuber.
Hence, an object of the present invention is to combine the gate and product pushing device in a single and compact apparatus.
This is achieved by providing a device of the type just described which comprises essentially:
a) a set of wheels located downstream of the conveyor and spaced above the conveyor;
b) a shaft located under the wheels; the shaft cooperating with the wheels to contact the concrete products to act as a gate to the pattern of products; and
c) drive means for rotating the wheels and the shaft; the drive means being actuatable to rotate the wheels and the shaft in a direction so as to cause the pattern of concrete products to be forwarded therebetween to the stacking cuber.
In one form of the invention, detecting means are mounted over the conveyor to detect the pattern of concrete products: the drive means are actuated in response to signals received from these detecting means.
In another form of the invention, the wheels are pneumatic while the shaft is rubber lined.
In another form of the invention, the wheel and the shaft are driven in synchronization.
In another form of the invention, a second rubber shaft is mounted above to drivingly contact the wheels.
Yet, in a further form of the invention. the wheels and the second rubber shaft are vertically adjustable relative to the conveyor conform with variable thicknesses of concrete products to be sorted.
Other objects and further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. It should be understood, however, that this detailed description, while Indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, is given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art.